Apparatus for feeding and laminating strip material in desired spaced relationship



Nav. 1, 1960 n. w. MoLlNs ET AL 2,958,365

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND LAMINATING STRIP MATERIAL IN DESIRED SPACED RELATIONSHIP Original Filed Jan, 29, 1954 A T TORNE X9 United States Patent O APPARATUS FR FEEDHNG AND LAMINATING STRIP MATERIAL IN DESIRED SPACED RELA- TEONSHKP Desmond Walter Moiins, London, England, and Flix `Frdric Ruan, deceased, late of London, England; by Caroline Marie Ruan, executrix, Purley, England, assignors to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a British company Original application Jan. 29, 1954, Ser. No. 407,032. Divided and this application July 17, 1953, Ser. No. 749,172

Claims priority, application Great Britain May 29, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 154-36) This invention concerns improvements in or relating to apparatus for applying portions of material -to a continuous web at spaced intervals along the web (e.g., applying tips to a web of cigarette-paper) and is a division from our co-pending application Serial No. 407,032, tiled January 29, 1954, now abandoned.

-The invention provides apparatus whereby portions of material may be applied at different required spaced inter vals along the length of the web. 4Means are provided to feed the portions of material at a constant speed, and at constant spaced intervals, and when they are to be applied to the web at those intervals, the web is fed .at the said constant speed. To apply the portions at greater or smaller intervals along the web, the web is fed faster or slower as the case may be. in order to equalize the speed of the web with that of the portions which are to be applied to it, at the moment of application, the web is passed `over guides which can be moved, by adjustable control means, either in or against the direction of movement of the web during application of a portion of material, so as momentarily to increase or reduce, to the said constant speed at which the portions are fed, that part of the web to which the portions are applied.

The control means for moving the cam may include a variable cam comprising a rotatable carcular disc with a further disc eccentrically pivoted thereon and rotatable therewith. The eccentrically mounted disc whose edge is engaged by a cam follower connected with the guide means, can be arranged concentrically with the first said disc (in which case it imparts no movement to the guide means) or swung to one side or the other so as to project beyond the lirst said disc.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

lFigure l is a side elevation of apparatus for applying tips to a continuous web of cigarette-paper, and

lFig. 2 shows a detail of Figure l.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, these illustrate apparatus for applying tips, for example cork tips, to a web of cigarette paper, for example in a cigarette-making machine for the production of cork-tipped cigarettes.

The apparatus comprises a suction drum 103, which acts as a conveyor for a web of cork tipping material 104 which is fed towards the drum 103 over guide rollers 105 and 106 and over an adhesive-applying roller 107, which latter is arranged to rotate with its periphery in contact with the periphery of a roller 108 which passes through an adhesive bath 109. A pin 110 on a lever 111 is arranged behind the web 104, and the lever 111 is arranged to be moved at desired times to cause the pin to push the web out of contact with the roller 107. This is done when the apparatus is not operating, so as to prevent the web from sticking on the roller 107.

The suction drum 103 is provided with two suction chambers 112 and 113, with suction conduits 114 and 114e communicating with a common source of suction 115. The chamber 112, as seen in Figure l, is the larger of the two and the suction in that chamber is therefore weaker than the suction in the chamber 113. Suction ports 103e are provided around the periphery of the drum 103, and these communicate with the chambers 112 and 113.

The web 104 yis fed to the guide roller 106 by a pair of cooperating guide rollers 116 and 117 which grip the web and control the speed with which it is fed, and these feed rollers are arranged to rotate at such a speed that they feed the web considerably slower than the peripheral speed of the drum 103. The web is held on the surface of the drum 103 by means of the suction., but due to the difference in speed between the web and the peripheral surface of the drum, the drum slips beneath the web. This slipping is made possible by the relatively weak suction in the chamber 112.

Cutting apparatus is provided to cut the web of tipping material on the suction drum into separate portions. This apparatus comprises a rotatable knife carrier arranged to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow, Figure l, `and carrying a pair of knives 119 which are slidably mounted in guides 119a so as each to be capable of sliding lengthwise relatively to the carrier. Each knife has a cutting edge 120 which, when` the knife moves for wardly relatively to the carrier, can engage a hardened inset 121 on the suction drum 103. The knives are provided with shoulders 122 which engage edges of the guides 119a to limit the rearward movement of the knives.

Each of the knives lis urged rearwardly by a spring 123, one end of which is xed to the knife and the other end of which is fixed to the knife carrier as shown.

The carrier 118 is arranged to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow, and at a speed such that the knife edges, when they are closest to the drum 103, move at the Vsame speed as that of the periphery of the drum.

Due to the action of the spring 123 the knives are, for the greater part of each revolution of the carrier 118, held retracted, so that ifthey were controlled entirely by the springs 123 their cutting edges would never engage the drum 103.

A lever 124 having at one end a metal-faced rubber pad 125 is pivotally mounted at 126 on a bracket 127, and has a tail 128 arranged to ride on the periphery of a-cam 129 arranged to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow. A spring 130 urges the lever 124 in a direction such as to cause the pad 125 to strike the rear end of a knife 119 when such movement of the lever is permitted by the cam 129. This occurs when the tail 12S of the lever reaches the edge 131 of the cam and can drop on to the lower surface of the cam. The cam is so timed as to permit this sudden movement of the lever 124 only when a knife 119 is in register with one of the hardened insets 121 on the drum 103, or in other words, at a time when it is desired that the knife should cut the web 104 and the knife is in the correct position to do so if struck and pushed forward by the pad 125.

The spring 130 is stronger than `each of the springs 123, and the padded end of the lever 124i striking the rear end of the knife thus pushes the knife forwardly and the cutting edge 120 strikes the web of material on the drum and cuts it against the drum. On further rotation of the carrier, the rear end of the knife slips away from the lever 124 and the knife is then immediately retracted by the spring 123.

It is found that a relatively light blow on the knife is sufhcient to cause the knife to make a satisfactory cut.

By means of th-is arrangement the knife can be given a very rapid movement towards the drum while at the same time moving in the same general direction as that of the web and at the same speed, thus making it possible to cut the web practically instantaneously.

A rotated brush 132 is provided to brush against the cutting edges of the knives in order to remove any adhesive which might be deposited on the knives during cutting of the gummed web.

A continuous cigarettepaper web 133 passes over guide rollers 134, 135, 136, 137, 138 and 139. The rollers 135, 136, 137, and 138 are arranged to maintain a loop in the paper web 133, the part 140 extending between the rollers 136 and 137 being the part of the paper web to which the tips are applied. For this purpose the length 140 of the paper web is held in light contact, or just out of contact, with the surface of the drum 103.

The rollers 136 and 137 are adapted to be moved as will shortly be described, but when these rollers are sta- `tionary, the speed of the part 140 of the paper web (which of course is the same as the speed of the whole of the paper web 133) is the same as the peripheral speed of the drum 103.

A dabber roller 141 is mounted above the web 140 on a pivoted arm 142, which is arranged to be rocked about its pivot 143 by a lever 144 which has a cam-following roller 145 which is held by a spring 146 in engagement with a cam 147. This cam causes the roller 141 to be moved up and down at such intervals that the 4roller moves down and presses against the paper web whenever a separated tip, or portion of tipping material, is brought beneath the roller by the drum 103, so as to press the paper rmly against the adhesive-coated tip and cause the latter to adhere to the paper.

The rollers 136 and 137 are mounted on arms 148 and 149 which are xed on shafts 150 and 151 respectively. Levers 152 and 153 fixed to these shafts are connected by a link 154. The lever 152 has mounted on it a roller 155 which is urged by a spring 156 against a composite cam 157. Rocking movement of the lever 152 about the shaft 150 will, as can be seen from Figure l, cause the rollers 136 and 137 to be moved to and fro in and against the direction of movement of the length 140 of the paper web.

The cam 157, which is also shown in Figure 2, comprises a rotatable disc 158 on which is mounted a further disc 159 which is pivoted at 160 on the disc 158. The disc 159 has a slot 161 which accommodates the head 162 of an eccentric pin 163 which passes through a corresponding hole in the disc 158. Rotation of the head 162 causes the disc 159 to swing about its pivot 160 in one direction or the other.

The roller 155 is arranged to engage only the edge of the disc 159.

If the disc 159 is swung into a position in which it is concentric with the disc 158, the cam 157 is thereby made inoperative, since its rotation does not cause the roller 155 to move. Therefore the rollers 136 and 137 remain in the position shown, and the length 140 of the paper web will move at the same speed as that of the paper web 133 as a whole.

When however the eccentric pin 162 is turned so as to swing the disc 159 to an eccentric position, the cam 157 acts to move the roller 155 to and fro, and thus the rollers 136 and 137 are caused to move to and fro, and will carry the length 140 of the paper web bodily backwardly and forwardly.

The purpose of this movement is to enable the paper web 133, as a whole, to be run at different speeds over the guide rollers 134 and 139, and also of course through the cigarette-making machine, without altering the effective or Iresultant speed of the length 140 of the paper web, which is passing from the roller 136 to the roller 137, relatively to the drum 103 and the portion of tipping material carried by the drum for application to the paper web.

It will be seen that if, for example, the speed of the paper web as a whole is greater than the peripheral speed of the drum 103, the rollers 136 and 137 can be moved backwards (that is, in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the length 140 of paper) so as to reduce, during such movement, the resultant speed of the length 140 to that of a portion of tipping material carried by the drum to be applied to the paper web during that movement. Similarly if the cigarette-paper web is moving through the machine slower than the peripheral speed of the drum, forward movement of the rollers 136 and 137 can increase, during such movement, the resultant speed of the length 140 of paper to that of the tip which is to be applied to it at that time.

The disc 159 can thus be swung in one direction or the other to alter the eccentricity of the composite cam and thereby to cause the rollers 136 and 137 to move forwardly or backwardly, as required, during the application of a tip to the length 140 of paper web.

The cam is arranged to perform one revolution for each application of a tip to the paper web. As six tips are applied during each revolution of the drum 103, the cam therefore rotates at six times the speed of the drum l103.

In operation, the drum 103 is rotated at a speed such that its peripheral speed equals the speed of the paper web 133 when it is desired to apply tips at certain predetermined intervals to make tipped cigarettes of a certain length, which length is chosen between the greatest and the smallest length of cigarette which it might at various times be desired to produce on the machine. For example the cigarette length chosen as a normal length may be 78 mm. In that case, the drum is rotated at a speed so that its peripheral speed equals equals the paper web speed for making 78 mm. cigarettes, and the discs 158 and 159 are arranged concentrically, thus making the composite cam 157 inoperative.

If now it is desired to make longer cigarettes, for example 86 mm. long, the disc 159 is swung about its pivot to its full extent in one direction so as to cause the rollers 136 and 137 to move backwardly (i.e. against the direction of movement of the length 140 of paper) during the time that the tip is being applied to the paper. The paper web as a whole is of course fed at an increased speed such that the tips will be spaced apart at increased intervals along its length so as to position the tips suitably for the manufacture of 86 mm. tipped cigarettes. The throw of the cam 52 is sucient to ensure that at the moment when a tip is applied to the length 140 of paper, the latter has a resultant forward movement (due to the backward movement of the rollers 136 and 137) equal to that of the tip.

Similarly, if mm. cigarettes are to be made, the disc 159 is swung to its full extent in the reverse direction, and the paper web is fed at a suitably reduced speed. The operation of the cam in this case moves the rollers 136 and 137 forwardly at the moment of application of a tip, so that the resultant speed of the length of paper is increased to the speed of the tips on the drum 103.

The speeds of the drum 103, the knife carrier 118, and the web of tipping material, remain constant throughout.

The disc 158 has three lines engraved on its edge, one of which marked 164, is seen in Figure 2. A similar line -165 is engraved on the movable disc 159, and can be brought into register with the middle one of the three lines on the disc 158 (at which position the two discs are concentric) or with one or other of the two outer discs, which represent the outermost positions of the disc 159. The disc 158 can be suitably graduated between the two outermost lines to indicate suitable positions with which the line 165 should register for a variety of cigarette lengths between the extremes. The extremes referred to above (namely 70 mm.86 mm.) are merely given by way of example, as is the normal length of 78 mm., and it will be understood that if desired a wider range of cigarette lengths could be included by increasing the amount by which the disc 159 can be swung relatively to the disc 158, thus increasing the possible throw of the cam 157.

What is claimed as the invention and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for applying portions of material to a continuous web at spaced intervals along said web, comprising means to feed portions of material at a constant speed and at constant spaced intervals, for application to the web, web-feeding means arranged to feed the web as a whole at the said constant speed for application of the portions thereto at the said spaced intervals, and at greater or lower speeds for application of the portions thereto at greater or smaller spaced intervals, guide means about which the web is passed and control means capable of moving the said guide means and adjustable so as to move said guide means in the direction of movement of the web during application of a portion to the web when the web is being fed at a speed lower than the said constant speed, and in the opposite direction during such application when the web is being fed at a speed greater than the said constant speed, so as momentarily to increase Iand to decrease, respectively, to the said constant speed the part of the web to which a portion is being applied.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means to move the said guide means comprises a variable cam, which latter comprises a rotatable circular disc and a further disc eccentrically pivoted thereon and rotatable therewith, said further disc being movable in either direction about its pivot so as to project beyond the edge of the rst said disc, and a cam follower arranged to ride on the edge of said further disc, said cam follower being operatively connected to the said guide means whereby the latter can be moved according to theposition of the said movable dics.

3. Tipping apparatus for applying tips to a continuous web of cigarette-paper comprising means to feed said paper web forwardly, movable guide means about which said paper web is looped, means to feed tips for application to the looped part of said paper web between said guide means, and to cause said tips to move, during application, at a substantially constant speed which is substantially the same as that of the paper web when the latter is fed at a predetermined speed, and means capable of moving said guide means and adjustable so as to move said guide means and the said part of the paper web bodily in the direction of movement of the paper web about said guide means during application of a tip when the speed of the paper web as a whole is decreased below the said constant speed, and against the said direction when the speed of the paper web is increased above said constant speed, to cause a resultant speed of said the web is being fed at a speed lower than the said conpart, due to movement of the guide means, substantially the same as the said constant speed of the tips during application of the latter.

4. Apparatus for applying tips or other portions of -material to a continuous paper web at spaced intervals along said web, comprising a conveyor having suction ports on its conveying surface, web feeding means arranged to feed positively a continuous web of tipping material to said conveyor at a slower speed than the speed of the conveyor surface of the conveyor so that the latter slips beneath the web, the said conveyor surface being arranged to move at a constant speed which is the same as that of the paper web when the latter is fed at a predetermined speed, means to sever the web of tipping material into separate portions while the web is in contact with the conveyor whereby said portions are caused to move with, and at the speed of, the conveyor iand are thereby spaced apart from the uncut web, suction means to effect suction through said ports and arranged to register with the web both in front of and behind the position where the web is severed, guide means about which the paper web is passed to maintain a loop in the paper web, a part of which loop makes contact with said separated portions whereby the latter are applied to the paper web, and means capable of moving said guide means and adjustable so as to move said guide means during such contact in the direction of movement of the paper web when the latter is fed at a speed less than said predetermined speed, and against said direction when the paper web is fed at a speed greater than said predetermined speed, to cause the said part of the loop in the paper web to move at substantially the same speed as the separated portion of tipping material with which it makes contact, irrespective of the speed of the paper web as a whole.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,167 Spiess Apr. l, 1924 1,699,507 Spiess Ian. l5, 1929 1,713,196 Ruau May 14, 1929 1,757,380 Molins May 6, 1930 2,723,604 Fischer Nov. 15, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 805,203 France Aug. 17, 1936 

